Homecoming, No More Running
by Hemogasms
Summary: "So you two are in love...Soul mates so to speak?" the question came. Santana was in love and she had found her soul mate, but that certainly wasn't Dave Karofsky. Slight spoiler for end of 2x19. Brittana do Prom!


**AN: My first crack at a Brittana fic, have really come to love these two lately. I know I should be working on my long standing stories, but inspiration hit and I couldn't get it out of my head.**

**Reviews are appreciated, and will also help me decide if my next series will be on these guys, if this is any good I'd like to give them a go at something multichapter.**

**For anyone who hasn't read my work before, italics are someone's thoughts :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...sadly.**

***Santana looked around, desperately trying to find a way to end the interrogation, her damn plan had backfired again, and damage control wasn't looking so hot right now either.

"So you two are in love...Soul mates so to speak?" the question came.

Santana steeled her nerves, resisting the urge to deny it, to blurt out the horrific but beautiful truth.

Yes she was in love and she had found her soul mate, but that certainly wasn't Dave Karofsky.

She quickly flipped her eyes to the beautiful blonde across the hall way, who listened intently to her every word.

Brittany looked crushed, and the way her eyes combed Santana's face, begging, made Santana want to break down and cry right then and there.

_Remember why you're doing this_, she told herself. _This is for Britt, for us...Eventually she'll get that_.

"Yeah..." she managed to force out, with a small unsure nod. "I'd say that was accurate" she reiterated before spinning on her heel and rushing away from the microphone shoved in her face and the ocean blue eyes that she knew would be filling with tears.***

Her feet took her to the bathroom on autopilot; she crashed through the door and cast one of her trademark scowls at the freshman girls inside.

After they quickly cleared out she ran into a stall, locking the door behind her, before finally letting herself hurl.

After she'd emptied what little she had in her stomach Santana let her back rest against the wall, as she slid down it to sit on the floor.

_I did the right thing, this is the right thing... She'll understand, two more days and she'll understand everything._ Santana promised herself as she rubbed her eyes, trying to remove the image of her best friend and the love of her life, standing across the hall and looking so deflated, and defeated...So broken.

She couldn't do what Brittany wanted of her, not just yet._ I'm not ready. Things aren't ready. She doesn't understand._

There were many times Santana schemed and plotted without Brittany, and many things she left unsaid between them, not because she didn't love Brittany, but for the exact opposite reason.

She never wanted Brittany to have to worry or hurt or have any part in the socio-political crap Santana sheltered them both from daily. She never wanted to see Brittany hurt, so Santana did what had to be done so she would never be... up until now.

_I just have to make it to prom, I just have to be prom queen. Britt will be okay, we'll be okay. I just have to be prom queen._ Santana told herself again, letting her eyes close and her head rest against the cool wall as she collected herself.

_I'm Santana Fricken Lopez ,and I will not sit on the skanky restroom floor and cry. Hell to the no. _With that she was up and out, reapplying her makeup in the mirror, until she was once again flawless, faultless. She knew looking at her own perfectly touched reflection that no one would even notice she'd been crying. No one except Brittany...

3

Brittany sighed as she dragged a comb through her wet hair. It hurt the way she did it, Santana was way better at getting all the tangles out.

They hadn't spoken for two whole days, the longest they'd gone without communication since kindergarten, and Brittney missed her best friend so much.

"I'm glad me and Artie are friends, and that we're still going to prom" she told the overly large tabby cat sitting on her bed purring softly.

"Lord Tubbington are you even listening to me?" she asked, raising her voice and causing the creature to look around.

Satisfied that she had his attention Brittany turned back to her vanity and continued, "I miss Santana. I know she told a lie and said she loves Dave, but I just..." her voice trailed off and she quickly wiped her eyes before her tears could spill and ruin her makeup.

"Tonight will be great, it's prom and it's Friday so tonight I'll dream about ducks..." she informed her cat, her spirits temporarily lifted, "But I miss her" she said sadly, swallowing down the tears, "And I love her" she whispered.

She continued to comb her blonde locks out sadly, and began to search for her sparkly clips, before she remembered something.

"But just because I'm all upset don't think I don't know about the gnomes...I know Lord Tubbington" she said ominously, "So when you want to admit it you know where I'll be" she chastised her pet waving her comb like a sceptre, "Which is right here...doing my own hair" she added somewhat sadly, but for good measure.

3

Santana leant idly against the punch table, in one hand she held her glass which contained the already heavily alcohol laden punch. Who'd spiked it she had no idea, but she made a mental note to find them and thank them... only in their dreams of course.

She shifted her weight from one heeled foot to another, not enjoying all the attention she received from the jocks walking by.

None of them could get enough of her smooth olive skin, exposed as it covered her muscular back and shoulder blades. The coffee coloured strapless she wore accentuated her perfect figure and turned her deep brown eyes to liquid chocolate.

Her hair was loose and gently waved, it looked almost natural, _just the way Britt likes it..._She quickly squashed that train of thought before it could go any further.

She noticed the football team stare as they passed, and the way they leaned suggestively over her to swirl the ladle around the punch bowl. It make her insides swirl too.

Luckily she knew none of them would try anything, not tonight, after all she was Karovsky's right?

_Wrong, so fricken wrong. One more hour and the beard is getting cut. Just one more hour..._she reminded herself again.

She was so close now, just another hour or two and she should be there, she could be prom queen. _Will be prom queen, will._ She corrected herself.

3

Half an hour later Santana had moved to the dance floor, dragging Karofsky with her. They moved and swayed in time with the music, or at least Santana did, Dave just sort of hunkered from side to side, taking care not to step on his 'date's ' feet.

Neither of them was having a great time. As Santana let her body effortlessly follow the beat, her thoughts were dragged back to Brittany.

Since they were kids they had talked about prom, planning it a million times over in pink, fluffy, glittery notebooks. Different dresses, hairstyles, corsages...accessories, limos, jewellery. They had designed and redesigned over and over again almost every combination of everything.

In all of their ever changing fantasies, only one detail was ever kept the same. They would go to prom together.

They were Brittany and Santana; they'd been everything from fairies, to princesses, to the prettiest, then the hottest girls, before becoming cheerios and the most popular girls in school. Through all those evolutions, one thing had stayed solid and unchanging.

They were Brittany and Santana, Santana and Brittney. They were best friends, and then they were in love. Throughout everything all they had, and all they needed was each other.

Snapping back to the present Santana quickly swallowed down the tears that had been threatening to spill onto her cheeks. Dave shot her a perplexed glance and began to lean towards her to ask if she was okay.

"Don't" she quickly cut him off, her voice barely audible above the music before she turned her head away.

_It's still Santana and Brittany, us against the world_ she promised herself. _After tonight I'll make this up to her, every single day for the rest of forever. Just one more hour and then we'll never be apart again, she'll forgive me for prom. One more hour._

They continued to dance for what felt like hours, but in reality was only another 2 songs. This Santana knew as to keep her mind off her best friend she'd taken to translating the lyrics to Spanish in her head, _Lame_ she chastised herself, _but it doesn't count if no one else knows _she decided.

She was trying to remember the word for 'another' when she noticed a few head around her turning towards the doorway. She strained but couldn't see through the forest of gyrating bodies surrounding her, so pushing Dave out of the way she moved towards the edge of the dance floor.

As she reached a clearing in the crowd Santana stopped dead in her tracks, causing someone to bump directly into the back of her. The frightened girl turned and ran, making a quick exit in order to avoid the verbal onslaught that she knew would be heading her way.

Santana didn't even turn around; she barely even felt the jolt. Her eyes were fixed on the scene by the doorway; her heart was hot and felt like it might beat out her chest. Tears were prickling her eyes.

"BrittBritt" she whispered to nobody in particular. Brittany looked stunning, perfect, and seeing her standing there Santana was overcome with feelings. Her emotions picked her up like coral caught in a violent tidal wave, swirling her around, never letting her catch her breath and showing no sign of wanting to put her back down.

Brittany wore the blue scoop neck dress which Santana had helped her pick out just a few weeks ago, before all of the mess had started. The colour made her opal eyes almost iridescent, and her muscular dancers legs looked miles long.

Letting her eyes drift to find the blonde's pretty face Santana thought Brittany was so so beautiful and just so perfect, that it actually hurt. She smothered a chuckle as she noticed a couple of Brittany's sparkle bobby pins splayed wildly in the side of her hair.

Forgetting herself for just a moment, she automatically moved towards Brittany who was standing by Artie surveying the room, her hands reached out, ready to fix the offending pins as was habit.

"Lopez..." she was brought back to earth with a thump as Karofsky roughly grabbed her by the arm.

"What the hell..." he questioned throwing a glance towards Brittany.

"Move the hand or you'll lose it... and your free ride to prom king" she threatened, before storming off to get more punch.

3

_Is this ever going to end?_ Santana asked herself, making short work of her third glass of punch. The vodka burned her throat, and she quickly decided that would be her last glass. She wanted to be sober for this, she wanted it to be real.

Looking over from her perch by the dj booth she saw Karofsky standing by the punch table, his eyes tracking Sam as he danced awkwardly between Rachel and the other members of glee club.

She watched Rachel, who watched Finn, a delighted smile lighting up her face every time he returned one of her glances. Quinn looked like she'd swallowed a brick.

Noticing the group was missing two people Santana quickly combed the dance floor, until eventually a flash of blonde and blue caught her eye. Artie rolled happily around in his chair, pumping fist to the song, while Brittany rocked the floor with some amazing moves.

Santana smiled at the scene for a second. Just a few days ago she hated Stubble McCripplepants for taking Brittany away from her, but as she watched them take up the centre of the dance floor she could see that they were great friends.

For a second she let herself get drawn into the way Brittany's body automatically contorted and moved exactly on the beat, the way the silk of her dress clung in all the right places, and rode up just enough to show off her toned dancer's thighs.

Brittany was smoking, and Santana felt a little burst of pride in her chest. _That's my girl_ she assured herself, allowing her face to soften into a heartfelt smile, before quickly pulling it back into a neutral expression.

She noticed a group of footballers standing a few feet away from her dancing Brittany and Artie, seeing the way they sneered and looked at the wheel-chair bound boy, and the glasses of punch they held in their hands she knew what was coming next.

Without thinking she launched forward and pushed through the crowds, reaching her target just as the first glass of punch was about to fly.

"San..." Brittany cried her eyes lighting up as she saw her best friend approaching, her expression quickly turned puzzled as she noticed the dead pan look on the Latina's face.

"I wouldn't" Santana declared coldly, stepping between her friends and the boys.

Realising what was happening Brittany's eyes grew wide and she grabbed Arties chair pulling him out of harm's way and spinning him around to face the offenders.

"Sticking up for your girlfriend and her pet cripple?" One of the jocks sneered.

Santana stepped forward and planted her foot between his legs, "Oops, looks like I'll be the only thing that's sticking up tonight" she called, her tone venomous, as the boys retreated mumbling 'bitch' under their breaths.

"Thanks" Artie smiled up at her, "That was really nice..."

"Can it Hawkins" Santana cut him off coldly and began to storm away.

"San!" Brittany called out after her, causing her step to falter for just a second before she continued her beeline for the punch... _Maybe just one more glass._

"Who does she do that?" Artie asked Brittany as they resumed their dancing.

"Do what?" Brittany asked perplexed.

"Why is she so...you know" Artie wondered if she should continue his question, "Why is she so mean?" he hastily clarified.

"She's not" Brittany said simply, glancing over to where Santana ladled herself a glass of punch, "She just likes to keep it a secret."

3

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for..." Principle Figgins announced over the speaker.

Santana looked around, her heart beating fast with nerves, though she'd never admit it.

Her eyes finally found Brittany, who was staring right at her, as their eyes locked she waved her crossed fingers madly and gave Santana a huge grin. Santana smiled back, she could see the sadness in the blonde's eyes and hoped to god she was about to be able to take it all away.

"McKinley High Prom Queen and King 2011 are..." Principle Figgins paused again for effect, and Santana resisted the urge to jump up on stage and announce the result herself. She drew in a tight breath as the seconds ticked by at snail pace.

"Miss Santana Lopez and Mr Dave Karofsky"

Santana quickly released her breath and shoving Dave away as he tried to hug her, started to make her way towards the stage. Nerves gnawed at her insides now, _just breathe, keep breathing _she told herself as she climbed the stairs.

Looking down over the rest of her class Santana could see Lauren and Puck wooping and hollering for her, disappointed but wholeheartedly, in amongst the rest of the glee club, including Finn, who were cheering furiously. Quinn was clapping, a sad but real smile on her face, and as their eyes locked she gave Santana a small nod. She had won fair and square.

When her eyes found blue Santana couldn't help break out into a laugh, as Principle Figgins placed the crown on her head she watched Brittany grabbed random students all around her shaking them, manically pointing up to her on the stage 'That's my best friend!' 'That's Santana' she could read her lips even from 20 yards.

As a microphone was thrust into her face for the second time that week, Santana heard the audience begin to quiet.

Her world started to spin.

_I'm here. I did it, I'm prom queen... I am prom queen. _She told herself, _It all payed off..._she smiled briefly knowing that her plan had been a success, before she remembered there was one last thing she had to do.

Looking into the faces below her, all looking up and waiting for her to make her speech Santana's head spun even harder and she felt slightly sick, this was it. This was the moment she was waiting for... The moment everything could finally be right. Things were ready.

Searching back through the crowds, she found her way to a pair of crystalline watery blue eyes, and seeing Brittany staring up on her, still clapping wildly, her face full of love and adoration, Santana's world was finally still.

Taking the mic, she lifted it to her lips.

"Thanks" she started simply, "Thanks for making me prom queen...Although who else was it gonna be right?" she joked, her cockiness causing a stir to run through the audience. She was, after all, Santana Fricken Lopez.

"The first thing that I wanna say is that I've waited for this for so long" she looked around the room and smiled her facade begin to fall away, "I've waited for this moment."

Her eyes threatened to tear but she pushed on, "Not where I'd be able to stand up here and look down on you all, and feel like the most popular girl in the school" she took a deep breath and plunged in, But for this moment where I would be able to stand up here as prom queen, and tell you, all of you, that I am NOT dating Dave Karofsky..."

"Sorry Dave" she added sarcastically, causing a few giggles over the uproar of whispered intrigue flying wildly around the auditorium.

"For as long as I can remember I've been in love with someone." She admitted, a tear escaping and sliding down her cheek, "Now I'm standing here, and I'm prom queen, and I'm ready..." she let her eyes find Brittany's again.

"Brittany Susan Pierce, I love you" Santana declared proudly into the mic, "I fell in love with you the day I met you and I've loved you ever since."

Brittany's face lit up in a mega watt smile, "You're my life Brittbritt" Santana finished with a small shrug, her voice soft.

The McKinley High class of 2011 watched dumbfounded, as their prom queen passed the mic to her rather embarrassed looking king, before making her way down the stairs and into the crowd.

The whispers started up quickly, but Santana kept her eyes locked forward and her head held high. She knew exactly where she was going.

As she approached Brittany ran forward and leapt into her arms, almost knocking them back off their feet, "You did it" she shrieked, her voice full of glee as she buried her face into Santana's ebony hair.

"I did it for you" Santana told her, as she held her tight, neither of them even pausing to think about the hundreds of eyes glued to them as they finally let their secret be known.

As they started to move apart, their hug coming to an end, someone (Kurt) started to slow clap, and soon there was an explosion of wooping and cheering and shouts of 'about time' to their left.

Laughing at all their over-joyed friends, Santana pulled the tiara from her head and placed it on Brittany's, causing even more cheers to erupt from the giddy glee club.

As the music started up again, Santana Fricken Lopez, HBIC, smiled, the most real smile anyone at the school had ever seen, the super special smile that was reserved only for one person.

As the whispers continued, and people dispersed, beginning to move to the beat again, gossiping and still looking intently at their new prom queen, Santana tightened her grip around Brittany's torso.

"I love you" Brittany said, her face pulled into a huge grin.

"I love you" Santana confirmed, letting her forehead rest against the blondes.

Kissing Santana on the cheek Brittany stepped forward until her lips were by Santana's ear.

"San?" she almost whispered.

"Mmm?" Santana replied, her eyes closed as she breathed in the moment, enjoying the feel of Brittany against her, wrapped in her arms as they swayed, right there, right then, right where she was always meant to be.

She had finally done it, she was prom queen, and now no matter what happened her and Brittany were safe, they were home dry, no more running.

Whatever life threw at them as prom queen Santana felt a little more certain she could always protect them, protect Brittany.

Dyke or not, she was prom queen, and that meant they could be together without having flaming red bulls eyes painted on their backs by default; it meant kids would think twice before they threw slushies in Brittany's face and called her dumb and a dyke; and that, to Santana, meant the world.

This was Santana's plan, this was what she needed. If she was going to make Brittany a target by agreeing to be with her, she had to know for certain she could protect her from the barriers she knew were ahead.

"Does this mean we're girlfriends now?" Brittany questioned, her breath tickling Santana's neck, "Like real girlfriends, not secret ninja girlfriends?"

Santana moved her head back to look directly into the cerulean eyes that had her hooked on day one, smiling she placed a gentle kiss on Brittany's perfect lips.

"Proudly so."


End file.
